Will Pope Benedict investigate Catholic Church of Ireland?

Will the European Union? After all, the new report covers widespread abuse though somehow the Catholic Church received a free pass. I remember when the Boston abuse scandal was first exposed, many Catholics in Europe shrugged their shoulders and blamed it on the American culture of lawsuits. Nothing like that was really true but lawyers will be lawyers, especially in America. And then stories began emerging in one country after another.

This report documenting the abuse of over 30,000 children is by far the most damning report to date. Once again, those in power were leading the abuse and covering up abuse. People ought to be shamed and ought to be retiring in prison. The government report avoided naming any individuals within the church but that needs to be addressed urgently by Pope Benedict. The Guardian:

After the revelations of systematic clerical abuse, Pope Benedict was challenged to hold a Vatican inquiry into the role of Catholic religious orders in Ireland’s orphanages and industrial schools. Irish Soca said it was now up to the Vatican to investigate the scandal further.

Kelly said: “Now that the Ryan commission is finished we call upon Pope Benedict to convene a special consistory court to fully investigate the activities of Catholic religious orders in Ireland. Among other things, such a court could establish the whereabouts of Irish state assets that were misappropriated over many years by the religious orders and make restitution to the Irish state exchequer.”

Kelly said Irish Soca was disappointed that members of the religious orders who abused children, and the government officials who turned a blind eye to abuse in places like the Artane industrial school, would not be prosecuted.

Chris in Paris
An American in Paris, France. BA in History & Political Science from Ohio State. Provided consulting services to US software startups, launching new business overseas that have both IPO’d and sold to well-known global software companies. Currently launching a new cloud-based startup. Full bio here.

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